Authorities in New Mexico are investigating whether the discovery of human remains, including up to 20 human skulls, in a home could be tied to a woman’s disappearance in 2019.

According to the Lea County Sheriff’s Office, 10-20 human skulls were found in a home in Jal after a resident reported having an “unsettling encounter” with a man while offering him a ride on Nov. 5.

The resident told police the man was “carrying two bags, made alarming statements and discarded objects from the vehicle, some of which appeared to be human bones.”

When investigators later inspected the area where the man was last located, they found bone fragments, portions of a skull and a jawbone, Telemundo New Mexico reported.

Officials then located the home where the man had been living and found more bone fragments and “10-20 human skulls” after searching the property the following day, the sheriff’s office said.

When questioned, the man told authorities someone purchased the skulls from an online source. The bone fragments are now being analyzed for potential identification.

While the man has not yet been charged with a crime, the sheriff’s office said the case could be tied to the 2019 disappearance of Angela McManes, whose last known residence was near the property searched.

“Authorities are working diligently to determine the connection between the remains and McManes, as well as other possible victims,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

“I know our viewers are concerned, but I can tell you, we don’t have a serial killer walking around,” the town’s sheriff, Corey Helton, told NBC affiliate KOB-TV.

New Mexico police are working to determine if 20 human skulls could be tied to missing persons cases in the state.

Deputies with the Lea County Sheriff’s Office made the grim discovery on Saturday in Jan, a city of about 2,000 that borders Texas. A call from a concerned resident on November 5 led officials to the human remains. The caller said he had an “unsettling encounter” with a man he was giving a ride to.

The man, who was named by LCSO in a statement as Cecil Villanueva, disposed of what appeared to be human remains outside the vehicle and allegedly made alarming statements. Deputies later found human bone fragments near where the man was said to have disposed of the remains.

Deputies then went to a residence where the man was said to have been staying. There, police found additional pieces of bone that included pieces of a skull and jawbone.

The 10 to 20 human skulls were found during a second search of the property. The remains were transported to the Office of Medical Investigator in Albuquerque for analysis and potential identification, according to KRQE.

Officials are hoping the evidence will give them answers about the disappearance of Angela McManes, 43, who was last seen on May 14, 2019. Her last known residence was near the property under investigation, according to the outlet.

“Authorities are working diligently to determine the connection between the remains and McManes, as well as other possible victims,” added LCSO.

DNA analysis could confirm some of the remains belong to McManes and other possible victims. No formal charges have been filed in the case yet.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Lea County Sheriff’s Office at 575-396-3611 or Lea County Crimestoppers at 575-393-8005.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s top elections regulator said Tuesday that she has been the target of harassing and threatening comments on social media after affirming President-elect Donald Trump’s national election victory in an attempt to halt conspiracy theories.

New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver shared her concerns as she briefed a legislative panel about administration of the general election and progress toward certifying the vote tally amid a surge in same-day voter registration. She said she plans to contact law enforcement about the threats.

“I am currently experiencing threats, harassment — from even some members of this committee — online,” said Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat who has been subject repeatedly to threats in the past. “And I want to say that thankfully we have a law in place that protects me from this behavior.”

A 2023 state law made it a fourth-degree felony to intimidate a state or local election official.

After the hearing, Toulouse Oliver said she attempted to “nip some emerging conspiracy theories in the bud” with a post on the social platform X that stated Trump had won outright while acknowledging that some states were still counting votes and fewer voters showed up to the polls this year. In response, she said she was accused of committing treason and told she was “in the crosshairs.”

Toulouse Oliver later switched off public access to that X account — used for political and private conversations — and said she was gathering information to refer the matter to state police and the state attorney general. An official X account for the secretary of state’s office remains public.

Toulouse Oliver accused Republican state Rep. John Block, of Alamogordo, of egging on and “helping to foment the anger and some of the nasty comments online.” She did not cite specific posts.

Block said he too has been a victim on online harassment and “that has no place in this (legislative) body or anywhere else.”

“If it gets to violent threats like you described that you got, I apologize that that is happening to you,” Block said during the committee hearing.

Toulouse Oliver told lawmakers at the hearing that she’ll advocate for new security measures for state and local election workers to keep their home addresses confidential on government websites. A law enacted in 2023 offers that confidentiality to elected and appointed public officials.

Trump lost the general election for president in New Mexico to Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris. Democratic candidates were reelected to the state’s three congressional seats and a U.S. Senate seat, while Republicans gained a few seats in legislative races but remain in the state House and Senate minorities.

More than 52,000 people used same-day registration procedures to vote in New Mexico.